A Matter of Respect is a short story by Blaine Pardoe that was first published in the 1993 BattleTech sourcebook Solaris: The Reaches, split into seven parts that each accompanied a chapter in the book. On 5 June 2009, the story was made available for download as a standalone PDF product via BattleCorps.

Contents

BattleCorps is pleased to bring you the opening fiction from a number of previous sourcebooks to make sure the fictional flavor of the universe is maintained whether you own the book or not! Be careful who you hire, especially if you let them behind the controls of your prize prototype.

VEST have spent months of work and considerable funds on creating the Sasquatch ArenaMech, but one morning Dr. David C. Vining arrives at the VEST building to find that a newly hired tech, Robby France, stole the SQS-TH-001 prototype during a shakedown run. It turns out he was working for the disreputable Vampires Stables.

Dr. Vining thinks that stealing the 'Mech back is what the Vampires would expect, and will have prepared for. Instead, he opts to take back the 'Mech, hurt their pride, and promote his new design all at once—by challenging the Vampires to an arena duel for the appropriated prototype. He correctly anticipates that they will be too proud to decline the offer. Still, Robby France is mugged in an alley on orders of VEST as a matter of principle.

VEST hires ace duelist MechWarriorLorri Bent, brings their second Sasquatch prototype to fully operational status, and install a few extra weapons and a killswitch for their first prototype in the second one. Bent handily defeats Vampires stablemaster Dick Benson in the King of the Mountain arena, effectively destroying both 'Mechs (though hers may be salvageable). Dr. Vining subsequently hires her for VEST.

The story does not feature a timestamp, but it deals with the first introduction of the Sasquatch which, according to the Master Unit List, was introduced in 3054.

No author is credited for the story in the original publication in Solaris: The Reaches, though Blaine Pardoe is credited for "design" of the book, suggesting he wrote the content. On BattleCorps, the story is not attributed to a specific author, but generally to "sourcebook fiction".